HB2019

THE CONTEXT: The Groundwater Code s Assured and Adequate Water Supply Program requires a developer to provide information on a proposed subdivision s water supplies to ADWR before the property can be marketed. Specific requirements apply, depending on whether the subdivision is inside or outside an AMA ( A.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would require modeling used by ADWR to determine projected groundwater levels for the purpose of evaluating an application for a certificate or designation of an assured water supply to be made available at no cost to the public, state that the information available to the public includes findings, conclusions, methods and assumptions, and require ADWR to: a) post on its website, and invite public comment on, any assumptions anticipated to be included in a new groundwater model at least 90 days before the model will be used; b) at the close of the comment period, hold a public meeting to receive additional comments; c) post all comments received and ADWR responses on their website; and d) include a statement with each comment indicating if the comment resulted in an addition, modification, revision or deletion of the assumption; e) f) g).

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to turn the Legislature's standard for groundwater model into an enforceable rule. It would require modeling used by ADWR to determine projected groundwater levels for the purpose of evaluating an application for a certificate or designation of an assured water supply to be made available at no cost to the public, and would also state that the information available to the public includes findings, conclusions, methods and assumptions, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.